FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT BIG HITS - PAGE 2

SHARPSBURG -- Tanner Manning must really like milkshakes. He hit two home runs Wednesday, including a dramatic solo shot to center in the bottom of the sixth inning, to lift Hancock to a thrilling 7-6 win over Sharpsburg in a Maryland District 1 11-12 Tournament losers' bracket game. "My teammate's mom owns an ice cream shop," Manning said. "She said if I hit a home run, then I would get a free milkshake. "It feels good. We have a good chance to do good in the tournament.

YOUTH LEAGUES District 1 Junior All-Star Tournament Derek Younker had three hits, two RBI and three stolen bases as Hancock ran away from host Valley on Friday night. Hancock stole 10 bases and took advantage of five Valley errors in its 11-5 victory. Hancock was running right out of the gate, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning to take the lead for good. The big hits were Justin Berkstresser's RBI double and Nick Harvey's RBI single. Hancock increased its lead to 7-0 in the second inning.

Just when it was given up for dead, the North Hagerstown baseball team's heart started beating. The Hubs erased a 4-0 deficit by scoring all of their runs in the last two innings Friday, highlighted by T.J. Hose's game-winning two-run double in the seventh, to pull out a 5-4 victory over Linganore. "It showed a lot of heart that we hung in there and came back to win it at the end," North Hagerstown coach Shawn Reynolds said. "We need to play together as a team for the entire seven innings instead of just the last two innings.

koelble@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - For the second straight game, Greencastle ominously fell behind an opponent. Thursday, the Blue Devils fell behind 8-1 to James Buchanan, rallied for a 9-8 lead and eventually lost, 10-9. Friday, it almost became deja vu as Greencastle was being throttled by Chambersburg 10-1 through four innings and facing the possibility of a 10-run-rule loss. Shockingly, back-to-back six-run innings in the fifth and sixth frames fueled No. 7 Greencastle (12-6)

HAGERSTOWN -- Hagerstown Community College had the top seed and the home-field advantage, but didn't have luck to make a run in the Region XX Baseball Tournament. The Hawks were sent to the sidelines during the tournament's second day on Saturday as ASA (N.Y.) defeated HCC 9-3 in the completion of a suspended losers' bracket game. HCC trailed 7-3 after eight innings when the game was called because of darkness. The loss ended HCC's season with a 33-19 record, going out as the first team to be knocked out of the four-team, double-elimination tournament.

MOUNT AIRY, Md. -- The big hits just didn't keep coming for Funkstown Post 211. Ty Benson had three hits, including a grand slam and a triple, to pace Funkstown, but it didn't get much more on Tuesday in a 14-8 loss to Mount Airy Gold Star Post 191 in the Western Maryland District American Legion championship game. "We played a nice ballclub," Funkstown manager Jeff Williams said. "We had two nice pitchers that hadn't thrown much all year and they did pretty well when we needed them to. "Our defense was a little shaky.

BRUNSWICK, Md. - The Hagerstown Braves forced a deciding seventh game in the Blue Ridge Adult League championshop Friday with a 4-1 win over the Brunswick Orioles. Today's title game at North Hagerstown High School is at 2 p.m. Hagerstown (40-9) tied the series after falling behind, 3-1. "We have battled all year," Hagerstown player-manager Danny Cunningham said. "We have just stepped up. It has been a war. Both teams are playing good baseball. We have got to go get them (today)

When the Federal All-Stars found themselves trailing National after two innings on Tuesday, there was no cause for concern. Federal stayed the course and got some big hits that propelled it to a 15-3 victory over National in the Maryland District 1 11-12 Tournament losers' bracket game at Kenneth E. Dudley Field. Federal hosts Hancock in a losers' bracket game tonight at 6. National started fast in the top of the first when Jake Boutieller blasted a two-run homer to center for a 2-0 lead that lasted until the third inning.

SHARPSBURG -- One day after Sharpsburg Little League's 9-10 All-Stars shut out National 10-0 on Tuesday, Sharpsburg experienced what it's like to be on National's end. Clear Spring Little League deflated Sharpsburg with a few big hits early in Wednesday's Maryland District 1 Tournament second-round game, and Sharpsburg never regrouped as Clear Spring earned a five-inning 10-0 victory. "Mentally, they just got down on themselves," Sharpsburg manager Chris Webber said. "If they get down a couple runs, they can't get down because we have the bats to get back in the game.

CLEAR SPRING - Tyler Byers went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBIs as Conococheague beat Clear Spring 10-5 in the losers' bracket of the Maryland District 1 11-12 All-Star Tournament on Wednesday. Conococheague, which has gone 3-0 since losing to Maugansville in the opening round, is one of four teams left in the 12-team, double-elimination tournament. Conococheague will host Hancock tonight at 6 in a losers' bracket semifinal. Clear Spring was eliminated after going 1-2 in the tourney.